


Bad News Travels Fast

by bettername2come



Series: Long Distance Phone Calls to Central City [6]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Gen, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-19
Updated: 2015-11-19
Packaged: 2018-05-02 08:27:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5241554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bettername2come/pseuds/bettername2come
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>News footage of the Flash's beating at the hands of Zoom makes it to Star City. Oliver calls to check on Barry.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bad News Travels Fast

Cisco’s been up with Caitlin all night, even though there’s not much he can do to help Barry now. He’s not a doctor. He doesn’t have a machine or weapon or power that can help with this. So he sits and watches, and searches for Zoom for the thousandth time, but there’s nothing on any of the monitors and he has nothing to vibe on. Instead he drinks his eighth cup of coffee and stands by Caitlin, just in case she needs his help with something. It’s close to daybreak when he gets the phone call.

“Hey, Oliver.” 

“Cisco, how’s Barry?” There’s an edge of worry in his voice, not quite a panic, but closer than Cisco’s ever heard him to it. “I saw the news. Is he-?” 

“He’s alive,” Cisco says, the only good news he has to share in this conversation. 

Oliver breathes a sigh of relief. They’ve lost too many good people, in Central and in Starling. But Barry’s alive, and Barry can heal. They won’t lose him too. “And everyone else?” 

“The team’s fine. Just waiting for Barry to wake up. Again.” 

“Is there anything I can do?” The image of the Green Arrow swinging by with a casserole for the family appears in Cisco’s head, making him smile, but he knows that isn’t the kind of help he means. Because this is Oliver Queen he’s talking to. If there’s one thing the man can do, it’s solve a problem with violence. 

“No!” Cisco says a little too quickly. “This guy's too strong for anything you’ve got. I shot him with Ray’s anti-speedster nanite darts, and the dude still managed to speed away.” 

“I’ll talk to Ray, see if he’s got any other ideas you can use against that…thing.” 

“Yeah, thanks.” And Cisco’s exhausted and worried enough that it takes him a little while to process Oliver’s words and a little longer to believe that he didn’t hallucinate them. “Ray’s alive?! Are you serious?” 

“Turns out he got shrunk down and then kidnapped by an evil sorcerer.” 

Yeah, of course he did. Because their lives just weren’t weird enough as it was. They needed a good old fashioned Disney villain to round out the rogues gallery. 

“The guy got a nickname yet?” 

“Pretty sure with a given name like Damien Dahrk, he doesn’t need one.” 

“Oh, yeah. I don’t think even I could top that.” 

There’s a lull in the conversation as both men’s minds turn back to Barry. “Are you sure Barry’s going to be okay? When I saw him on the news, Cisco, he looked…” Dead. But thankfully, Oliver doesn’t say it. 

“Zoom broke his back. He’s healing, but it’s going slow, at least by Barry’s standards . Zoom stabbed him with a nanite dart, and his powers were compromised, including his healing. We won’t know how badly until he wakes up.” 

There’s a shuffling on the other end of the line and Felicity’s voice picks up. “Cisco, send me whatever information you have on Zoom. I’ll track him from my end and see if there’s anything Ray can work up to stop his…what do you call it?” 

“Speed Force.” 

“Right. That.” 

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea. Barry’s got enough of a guilt complex as it is, and that’s coming from me. The last thing he’d want is to see more people he cares about getting hurt because of their connection to him.” 

“Cisco, in crimefighting, we share. Besides, we both know I can out-hack you any day. Please don’t make me break into your system.” 

Cisco sighs, grabs his tablet and sends her everything they have on Zoom. “There. Now stay off of our satellite.” 

“I make no promises.” 

Oliver takes the phone back. “Call us when Barry wakes up. Really, Cisco, if there’s any way we can help, just say the word, we’ll be there.” 

“Yeah, I know. And the same goes for your….evil sorcerer.” Good God, could their lives get any weirder?


End file.
